Electric Charge and Fields

When we see the sky thunderstorm and lighting, current flowing through
wire and we have experienced many such things. This happens due to
discharging of electric charge. Electric charge can be positive or negative.
Electric charge can create a force field which referred as Electric Field.
Static electric charge is referred as Electrostatic. And, Electrostatics is the
study of forces, fields, and potentials caused by static electric charge.

Formulae:

Quantization of Electric Charge: Charge is always quantized in nature, it is always an integral

multiple of fundamental quantum of charge i.e., -
q = ne , n = 0,1, 2,3.....
e = 1.6  10 −19 C
Coulomb’s Law:
1 q1q2
• Magnitude of electric force is, F = .
4 o r 2
q1 =Charge of first body
q 2 =Charge of second body
1
• k= = 9 109 Nm2 / C 2 , ε o = electric permittivity=8.854×10-12 C2 /Nm 2
4 o
q1q2 qq
• In vector form, F 12 = k 2
rˆ12 and F21 = k 1 2 2 rˆ21 here rˆ12 = − rˆ21
r12 r21
• F12 = − F21 , Which satisfies Newton’s third law of motion.
• Ratio of electric force between proton and electron and gravitational force between
ke2 Gme m p
them. Electrostatic Force, Fe = 2 and Gravitational Force, Fg =
r r2
Fe ke2
= = 2.4 1039
Fg Gme m p
n
qi
• Force under multiple particle system: F1 = kq1  rˆ1i
i =2 r12i
Electric Field:
• Electric field produced by charge Q on a point charge q, is given by
Q
E (r ) = k 2 rˆ
r

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Electric Charge & Fields

n qip
• Electric field due to system of charges on point p: E (r ) = k  rˆip
i =1 rip2
• Force applied by electric field on a point charge q, F = qE (r )

Electric Field lines:

• The electric field is a vector field that describes the force experienced by a charged
particle at any given point in space. Electric field lines are a way to represent and
visualize the electric field.
• Direction of the Field: Electric field lines always point in the direction of tangent to
the electric field at a given point. For a positive charge, the lines radiate outward,
and for a negative charge, the lines point inward.
• Density of Lines: The density of electric field lines is proportional to the strength of
the electric field. Where the lines are closer together, the field is stronger, and
where they are farther apart, the field is weaker.
• No Intersections: Electric field lines never intersect. If they did, it would imply that a
single point in space has two different electric field strengths, which is not possible.
• Perpendicular to Conductive Surfaces: Electric field lines are perpendicular to the
surface of a conductor at equilibrium. This is because if there were a component
parallel to the surface, charges would move until there wasn't, achieving
electrostatic equilibrium.
• Equipotential Surfaces: Electric field lines are always perpendicular to equipotential
surfaces. Equipotential surfaces are surfaces where the electric potential is the same
at every point. Electric field lines cross equipotential surfaces at right angles.
• Quantitative Representation: The density of electric field lines can be used to
represent the strength of the electric field quantitatively. The number of lines per
unit area is proportional to the magnitude of the electric field.

Electric Dipole:
• Electric Dipole moment: The electric dipole moment (p) is defined
as the product of the magnitude of one of the charges (q) in the
dipole and the separation distance between the charges (2a).
Mathematically, it is expressed as: p = q  2a
• The direction of the dipole moment is from negative charge to

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Electric Charge & Fields

positive charge.
• The SI unit of electric dipole moment is coulomb-meter and its
dimensional formula is [M0L1 A 1 T 1 ] . The practical unit of electric
dipole moment is Debye.
• Electric field of dipole at large distance:
2kp
a. At a point on dipole axis: E = 3
r
kp
b. At equatorial plane: E = − 3 [ p = 2aq]
r
• Electric field of dipole for small distance:
2kr
At a point on dipole axis: E = 2 p
(r − a 2 )2
−k p
a. For point on equatorial position: E = 3
(r 2 + a 2 ) 2
• If dipole is in uniform electric field, then it will feel a torque which is:  = p  E and
its magnitude will be  = pE sin 

Electric Flux: Total flux  through surface S:  = E. S = E S cos 

Total flux,    E. S
Gauss’s Law: Flux in closed surface is equal net charge inside divided by  .
Q
 =  E.d A = enclosed
o
Continuation of distribution of charge: If charge doesn’t discrete form but in
continuation then we calculate all quantities by its charge density-
Q
a. Surface Charge Density:  =
S
Q
b. Linear Charge Density:  =
l
Q
c. Volume Charge Density:  =
V
d. Electric field due to volume charge density:
V
E = k 2 rˆ
r
V
e. Total Electric field: E = k  2
rˆ
for all V r

• Field due to an infinitely long straight uniformly charged wire:


E=
2 r o

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Electric Charge & Fields


In vector form: E = nˆ , n̂ = radial unit vector
2 r o
normal to the plane.
• Field due to a uniformly charged infinite plane sheet:
 
E= , in vector form: E = nˆ
2 o 2 o
• Field due to a uniformly charged thin spherical shell of
radius R:
q
a. Field outside the shell: E outside = rˆ
4 o r 2
(r>R)
b. Field inside the shell: Einside = 0 (r<R)

• Field due to charged ring along axis at distance r:

kqr
E= 2 , R= radius of ring
(r + R 2 )3/2
• Field due to uniform charged disc along axis at distance r:
r
E = 2 k [1 − 2 ]
(r + R 2 )1/2
• Field due to uniform charged solid non-conducting sphere of
Radius R:
kq R
a. Field outside the sphere: Eoutside = 2 (r  R)
r
kqr
b. Field inside the sphere: Einside = 3 (r  R)
R

dV
Relation between Electric Field and Electric Potential: E = −
dr

Motion of Charged Particle in Electric Field: The motion of a charged particle in an electric field
is governed by the force experienced by the particle due to the electric field. The force on a
charged particle in an electric field is given by Coulomb's law, and the equation for this force is:
Electric Force (F ) = q  E
Now, according to Newton's second law of motion, the force acting on a particle is equal to the
mass of the particle (m) times its acceleration (a): F=m⋅a.
Combining these two equations, we get: q⋅E=m⋅a.

If the electric field is uniform (constant in magnitude and direction), then the acceleration (a) of
the charged particle is also constant. The equation can be rearranged to solve for the
acceleration:
q
a= E
m

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Electric Charge & Fields

• If the electric field is not uniform, the force and acceleration experienced by the charged
particle can vary with position, and the motion becomes more complex. In such cases,
differential equations are often used to describe the motion of the particle.

• The trajectory (path) of the charged particle depends on the initial conditions and the
nature of the electric field.
• In a uniform electric field, the motion may be linear if the particle starts from rest. If the
initial conditions are different or if the electric field is not uniform, the trajectory may be
curved or more complex.

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